The present invention relates to an ostomy appliance and more particularly an appliance adapted for ileostomy and colostomy use.
The use of appliances for occluding colostomies and ileostomies have been proposed in the past. Such devices are generally intended to permit the patient to be comfortable without continual use of a belt or bag or any other attachment on the surface of the body and to quickly rehabilitate a patient psychologically to normal life after his or her operation.
A colostomy is an operation on the lower bowels (rectum and anus) in which part of the bowel is removed surgically due to cancer or other malignant infections. The bowel is brought out by the surgeon through an opening in the side of the abdominal wall and surgically attached to the skin for the purpose of serving as a means for eliminating body waste. An ileostomy is a similar procedure on the small intestine.
The artificial body aperture or opening formed in an ileostomy or colostomy is referred to as a "stoma".
The patient who undergoes an ostomy operation has no control over passage of body waste materials, liquids, or gases through the intestine to the stoma. In the past pads and various receptacles such as bags and bag attachments have been taped over the opening or attached to the stoma by a belt around the body in order to cover the stoma and collect, but not control, the escape of body waste, liquids and gases. Such methods are inefficient, ineffective, and often embarrassing.
In the past, a variety of appliances have been proposed for occluding colostomies or ileostomies at the stoma. Such devices have taken a wide range of forms, but have been primarily of the inflatable cuff type. Such closures are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,721,508 and 4,344,434. These devices use inflatable cuffs and permit a degree of control over the escape of wastes through the appliance from the stoma into a bag or other collecting device. Other forms of inflatable devices, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,735, simply form a plug in the stoma.
It is believed that because of a variety of problems with such devices, they have rarely and infrequently been used. Inflatable devices are of particular concern because their inflatable cuffs can burst or be blown out when placed within the stoma and inflated. They also rely on artificial pressure to seal the inside of the stoma and are subjected to pressure losses and therefore leakage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ostomy appliance which is simple for a patient to self-install in a stoma.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ostomy appliance which is reliable in use and which automatically seals the inside of the stoma once installed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ostomy occlusion appliance which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture.